He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).
World English Bible
This verse is examined in more than one Scripture Analysis section. Each lens is shown on its own terms, in the section's own words; GEBible reaches no verdict of its own.
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He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called Cephas” (which is by interpretation, Peter).
World English Bible
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Matthew 4:12, 18-19 and Mark 1:14-17 both say Jesus began his Galilean ministry and called Peter and Andrew *after* John was imprisoned. John 1:35-42 has Andrew and Peter following Jesus while John is still actively baptizing — and John 3:22-24 makes the chronological framing explicit: *oupō gar ēn beblēmenos eis tēn phylakēn ho Iōannēs* — 'for John had not yet been thrown into prison.'
Critical scholarship: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction.
Chronology
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Mark 1:16-17 and Matthew 4:18-19 have Jesus call Peter and Andrew while they are casting nets at the Sea of Galilee. John 1:35-42 has Andrew already a disciple of John the Baptist who, after hearing John identify Jesus as the Lamb of God, follows Jesus on his own and then brings Peter.
Critical scholarship: Widely regarded as a genuine contradiction.
Parallel accounts (distinct sources)
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Each section sets the viewpoints side by side; you weigh the evidence. Here, "critical scholarship" means academic study, not a value judgment. How this is built →
Within each section, grouped by shared field or question type — not a cross-section comparison.
This citation refers to this GEBible page — the verse and the analysis gathered here. To cite the underlying scholarship, cite those sources directly.
"John 1:42 — Scripture Analysis" GEBible, https://gebible.app/analysis/verse/john/1/42?version=WEB (retrieved 26 August 2026).